George Foreman pulls no punches with opening pitch

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When it came time to throw pitches rather than punches, former heavyweight champion George Foreman took lessons from former Astros star Enos Cabell: Throw from the grass in front of the pitcher’s mound, not the mound itself, and throw it high.

“I didn’t want to be a YouTube highlight,” Foreman said after throwing the ceremonial first pitch of the Civil Rights game to Astros pitcher Scott Feldman.

Foreman said he agreed to participate in the annual game because of his respect for honorees Jim Brown, Berry Gordy and the late Maya Angelou.

“Jim Brown and those guys were out there when there was no one to blaze the trail. They had to do it themselves. Jim Brown, Berry Gordy, two of the most gifted human beings I’ve ever met,” he said. “They weren’t afraid. Jim Brown gave me a helping hand when I needed it.”

Of Angelou, who died earlier this week, Foreman said, “What a strong person. To describe her as a woman is not the way to do it … a strong person.”

He said Major League Baseball “is where it all started” for African-Americans in team sports.

“No team sport has been able to surpass baseball as far as justice,” he said.